Whatever You Feed Grows
Dear family and friends,
Our family recently welcomed a furry four-legged friend into our family. She has brought us so much joy (and less sleep) over the last three months… we wouldn’t trade her for anything.
It’s funny how much a dog can disrupt our daily routines…now having to schedule new responsibilities into our daily calendars, like walks around then neighborhood, multiple “trips” outside, excursions to the groomer, and constant food and water bowl fill-ups.
My wife showed me a picture of “Millie” when we brought her home earlier this year and we could not believe how much she has grown just in these last three months. But with the constant feedings, it’s no surprise to see how big she has gotten! I guess the saying is true…whatever you feed, grows.
As many of you know, BVT holds regular chapel services for our residents and staff each week. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have continued these regular chapel services, but have moved to a “virtual” platform…just like most things in our lives these days.
The BVT residents always impress me with their wit and perceptiveness.
One recent chapel service, the discussion was on “Whatever you feed grows.” It was an insightful discussion on understanding what we put into our minds often becomes our reality. Fear, anger, stress, worry – all common and understandable feelings and emotions. But ones that if we “feed” on a regular basis, can consume our almost every thought and ultimately impact our daily lives.
On the contrary, feeding our minds with faith, trust, hope, and patience will allow us to grow in our daily walk and allow us to trust God more with the challenges and obstacles we face each day.
So, let’s hold on to these truths: that God keeps His promises; that He has been faithful to us before and He will be faithful now; and that He hears our prayers and knows our hearts.
And in trusting God, we are feeding our faith. And through this practice, we can be confident that our faith will outgrow our fears.
I heard a pastor give an analogy one time relating to his fear of flying. When traveling by plane, it is not uncommon, and is almost guaranteed, that the airplane will experience turbulent air. The good news is, the pilots have been trained on how to handle those rough spots; they know exactly what to do when the passengers experience turbulence. Sometimes they can steer the plane to a different altitude to make it less bumpy, or sometimes they must simply “wait it out” until the turbulence ends. And even though he (the pastor) didn’t have control over the airplane, there was no one more equipped to handle the airplane than the pilots who were sitting in the pilots’ seat – he trusted them.
May we rest today knowing that The One who created everything into existence is The One who sits in the pilot’s seat and is guiding us today. How I am thankful for His direction, His leading, and Him being able to see the entire horizon of what’s ahead, rather than me.
So my prayer for us today, as we continue to fly through these turbulent times, is that we do our best to feed our faith and not our fears. God is in control and how thankful I am for that truth.
And as you continue to fly through this season of life, may you always remember that you are capable enough to do hard things.
Until next time,
Steven Campbell
Executive Director